


Ice Cream Dates

by thepoeticflower



Series: It All Started With a Fake Date [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Fluff, Insecure Alec Lightwood, M/M, Patient Magnus Bane, Teacher!Alec, These dorks are falling in love, lawyer!magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 17:08:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12113334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepoeticflower/pseuds/thepoeticflower
Summary: The second part of my "It All Started With a Fake Date" series. (Yes, yes, I couldn't resist continuing in this verse. But now the dates aren't so fake ;))Alec and Magnus have been talking for a couple of weeks and go on an impromptu ice cream date.





	Ice Cream Dates

_'So, I’ve been thinking…’_

Alec laughed at the text he received from Jace before starting in on the fun. _'Who should I alert first? The media or the nearest emergency room?’_

_'ha. ha.’_

_'This is one for the calendar. October 15th, Jace had a thought.’_

_'Are you finished yet?’_

Alec quickly added it to his mobile calendar before screenshotting it and sending it along to Jace with a cheeky emoji before adding,  _'Done now.’_

_'As I was trying to say, I’ve been thinking. You’ve been talking to Magnus for two weeks now. You should bring him to the family dinner this weekend.’_

Alec rolled his eyes hard at the message. He had received some similar probing from his sister, Izzy, about bringing his new 'boyfriend’ around for dinner. Naturally, Alec was quick to correct her that Magnus was not his boyfriend. She had shot back, _'He pretended to be your boyfriend to save you from Raj, he definitely wants to be your boyfriend.’_

They were enjoying each other’s company. Mostly via text messages and other forms of social media because Magnus busied himself with being a successful lawyer and Alec taught at the local elementary school. Alec quickly learned that Magnus shamelessly flirted all the time and was the most captivating of storytellers. Magnus mesmerized Alec with stories from his past, skirting any serious topic like previous relationships or his family life. And all the while, he managed to go off on enough tangents to keep Alec's cheeks flushed. But these were only two small parts of the whole picture and Alec longed to unlock every part of Magnus beyond these initial pieces offered up.

But that bothersome, small voice in his mind reminded Alec this was all temporary. Soon enough, Magnus would come to discover what he was really like and he’d lose any interest. And honestly, Alec wouldn’t blame him in the slightest bit. 

After a steadying breath, he turned his focus away from his self-loathing thoughts and back to the texts from Jace. _'So, what you meant to say was that Izzy has been doing some thinking for you. I'm not bringing Magnus to dinner anytime soon. Maybe not ever. You know where this is all eventually headed. It won’t last.’_

_'Alec, you can’t keep sabotaging yourself because of your fear. If you don't want to bring Magnus to dinner, that's fine. I'll try to convince Iz to back off, but don't prevent yourself from potential happiness because of what happened previously.'_

Alec left the message unanswered as he returned to grading homework assignments and eating his now cold pizza. No part of him wanted to destroy his chance at happiness, but his fear encompassed everything. It captured all of his happiness, all of his hope, and threw it down into a deep, dark pit of despair. 

He spent too much time during the last six months reflecting on his failed relationship and he realized things never felt one hundred percent authentic with Raj. The relationship started too suddenly and always felt forced. Being he had never been in a relationship before, Alec assumed that sometimes falling in love defied all logic and reason. How wrong he had been.

The sensible part of his brain was quick to point out that things with Magnus didn't feel like that. Their interactions didn't seem staged, lacking an unrealistic perfection Alec previously associated with developing feelings for another person. Their conversations were often peppered with blunt statements, something that was absent even in the early days of his relationship with Raj.

_'Alexander, are you available currently?'_

A smile crept onto Alec's lips without his consent as he tried to scrounge up the slightest bit of annoyance at Magnus's insistence of calling him by his full name. When Magnus used it, it sounded like music to his ears to be as clinched as possible. 

_'What did you have in mind?'_

_'I know of this delightful ice cream shop and I am in need of something sweet. Hence why I am asking you to accompany me.'_

Alec grinned hugely, ducking his head even though there wasn't a soul around to witness the color flooding his cheeks. _'Ice cream sounds good. Send me the address.'_

Alec tugged on a flannel shirt over his white undershirt after Magnus sent the address over. It was a quick ten minute walk from his apartment, so Alec decided a nice brisk walk would be more suitable than using public transportation. He grabbed his keys and wallet from the kitchen counter where he had deposited them earlier and headed out. 

Alec weaved in and out of the crowded streets, trying his best to avoid knocking over gawking tourists taking selfies in the center of the walkways. He scowled in aggravation when some girl bumped into him without watching where she was going. Her mumbled apology fell on deaf ears as Alec picked up the pace and turned the corner, lengthening his trip by a minute just to get away from the crowds.

He smiled when he spied Magnus through the shop's windows as he approached. As always, the man looked impeccable as if he was handcrafted by the gods. Every morning began with a good morning picture from Magnus, usually already clad in whatever he'd be wearing to the office or the courthouse for the day. His phone's camera roll was steadily becoming filled with pictures of the brilliant attorney and Alec wasn't complaining. 

Magnus turned when Alec opened the door and a smile lit up his entire face, his features relaxed and warm. 

"Biscuit, this is Alec." He said to the red haired girl behind the counter, an adoring tone to his voice. "Alexander, this is Clary. She owns this enchanting shop with her mother, Jocelyn. Their ice cream has single-handedly kept me in the city."

Alec smiled kindly at that girl, nodding his head in greeting. She looked vaguely familiar; like a girl Jace once hooked up with and he was forced to see a picture of in a drunken text. Magnus took his hand and led him over to the display case of flavors. He pointed out some of his seasonal favorites, which included a candied pecan pumpkin pie flavor and a salted caramel flavor. Alec stuck to strawberry, his favorite and generally a safe choice. Magnus chose his flavor and they took their ice cream to one of the tiny tables in the shop. Alec raked his eyes up and down Magnus's frame before he took a seat. 

"Glad you could join me on such short notice."

Alec almost blurted out that he'd always make time to see Magnus, but he thought better of that. "Thank you for inviting me. Always nice to get away from grading second grade math assignments."

"I'll say it again, Alexander, you must have the patience of a saint." Magnus scooped some ice cream up on his spoon, his eyes and attention never leaving Alec.

Alec shrugged, his tongue darting out and licking his lips as the spoon went into Magnus's mouth. "Do you not like children?"

Magnus laughed, "No, I do like children. But I don't have the patience to teach."

"But you do have the patience to research cases and weave together immaculate and intricate arguments in order to back the opposition into a corner."

"Well... when you put it like that." Magnus grinned brightly, if not a touch smugly. "It also involves a lot of sarcasm, sass, and yelling."

"Things that are generally frowned upon when dealing with second graders."

"I can imagine," Magnus said with a wink before taking another spoonful of ice cream.

The easygoing conversation continued long after both of their bowls were empty. It seemed effortless to be around Magnus and it made Alec nervous. He rubbed the back of his neck, his hand drifting a bit up into his hair. 

"Something wrong? You've gone quiet."

"No, no, of course not. Just old insecurities creeping in."

Magnus frowned and reached across the small table, placing his hand over Alec's laced fingers. "We can call it a night if you need to."

"Not necessary. I've been told I shouldn't deprive myself of happiness just because of the past."

Magnus gave him a sad smile, "While I absolutely agree with that sentiment, you also can't force yourself into healing any faster than you can. I like you, Alexander. I truly do and I know I haven't exactly kept that a secret." That earned a soft chuckle from Alec. "But because of that, I'll always respect your boundaries and go at a pace that will make the both of us comfortable. I've told you before, I have known the pain of partners who didn't have my best interests at heart as well. Partners who have hurt me in numerous ways. As long as we're happy with how things are progressing, that's what matters."

Alec smiled softly. "Thank you."

"You needn't thank me. Now, shall I be chivalrous and walk you home?"

"Only if you want to."

Magnus stood up and tossed both of their paper bowls away before saying a quick goodbye to Clary, promising to stop by again soon. Magnus slid his hand into Alec's as they headed out of the shop and Alec felt no compulsion to pull away. They strolled leisurely, taking a longer way back to Alec's apartment both to avoid crowds and just to spend a little more time with one another. 

When they finally reached the entrance to Alec's apartment building, he didn't want the evening to end. They stood by the entrance, looking at one another as if they were waiting for one another to say something.

Magnus broke the silence after a few moments, "It was lovely being with you tonight. Maybe we can grab dinner this weekend."

"That'd be great."

"Great. Well, good night, Alexander." Magnus leaned in and brushed a kiss to Alec's cheek before squeezing his hand and letting go. Alec watched after him until he disappeared into a crowd of people at the end of the block. Alec grinned to himself, his hand subconsciously brushing up against where Magnus's lips had been moments before. He headed into his building, unable to stop thinking about Magnus.

**Author's Note:**

> Come chat with me on [tumblr.](http://asexualalexanderlightwood.tumblr.com) Needless to say, this will be an ongoing series. If there's anything you'd like to see, lemme know :) <3


End file.
